HAMPTON -- The name of "Miss Hampton" might bring to mind to the younger set, a beauty queen from Hampton Beach, but to those of us over 50, it reminds us of quite another "girl". The one I have reference to, is the old caterpillar tractor with the huge snow plow which pushed beck the snow on the roads of Hampton back in the 30's and 40's.

After the big snow storms of yesteryear, old "Miss Hampton" (as she was affectionately named) could be heard chug-chuging through the streets early in the morning after being cranked up by the town crew. Actually, it had to be a big storm for the town crew to bring out the "cat" from behind the town Hall.

Otherwise, the smaller plows were used together with the green grader with the little house on the back in which the operator sat to operate it. Us kids had a favorite nickname for this snow vehicle, which was "The Back House on Wheels." What fun it was to watch these plows push through the huge drifts and open up the roads to the Hampton Center.

If one looks close enough, one can still discern the faint letters on the side of the engine hood of "MISS HAMPTON", once emblazoned in gleaming black enamel paint, but now just a dark shadow of the outline of the letters.

Yes, the years have taken its toll on the old tractor snow plow and now it just sits and rests after having been saved from the salvage torch of the junkman, by Homer Johnson, former Hampton Road Agent of Park Avenue, having done its job well through the years. Do you remember "Miss Hampton"?

"Time IS, man marches on"!